The Farewell Child
by DreadPirateRoberts54
Summary: The Doctor has no idea when he responds to small child's cry for help that his entire world will change forever. As he and River try to uncover a mysterious disease that is traveling through time and space, he begins to uncover more about the child's past...and future. 11th Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. I just watch and enjoy it. :)**

**Welcome to the 2nd fanfic I have ever written! This takes place somewhere between Season 6-7 ish. (post Ponds, pre Clara) Enjoy!**

December 10, 2079

The nighttime sky was a vast array of stars stretching over the world like a great canopy, hiding the sun once again. With the darkness came harsh winter frost filling the quiet air. Beyond the sky, the universe was quiet and peaceful as Earth slept below.

The autumn color was gone from the woods and only empty skeletons of trees remained. They rocked uneasily in the moaning wind. Their branches creaked and shuddered. The forest had become a graveyard, cold and dead.

On that quiet winter night, the trees harbored a small child in their care. He lay huddled against a tall oak tree, shivering whenever the breeze picked up. The only warmth he had was that of hot tears constantly rolling down his pale cheeks. He hid his face in his arms as another wave of sobs overtook him.

Perhaps the universe was not at peace that night.

He felt alone. No one understood. And no one would tell him what was wrong with him. He was "too young", they said. He wouldn't understand, they said. It made him angry, not in the way seven-year-olds get angry because something isn't fair, but in the way adults get angry when something is actually wrong. That was why he had to run away. And that was why he was lost in the woods.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He was angry and sad all at the same time. He felt his arm. It burned under his touch, and he pulled away. The mixed emotions brought more tears.

But between sobs, he heard a distant sound. He held his breath, thinking it was his teacher coming to scold him for running away after curfew. But he wasn't hearing footsteps. What he heard was a sound he couldn't describe. It was a deep, whirring sound, raspy and persistent. It got louder, then faded, and then rose again. It died away one final time. The child froze, still holding his tears to listen. There was a soft squeak, like a door opening. Then came hasty, confused footsteps. When he listened closer, he heard soft muttering. The boy dug his head into his arms and waited. But all had fallen silent. He finally gathered up the courage to call out:

"T-teacher? Is that you?" He looked around nervously. "I'm sorry I ran away. I promise I'll never do it again - "

"Why not? Running off is good fun. Good for the ol' ticker. A good thrill. I've been running since I can remember and I'm still going strong. But tell me - why have you been running?"

The boy looked up and jumped back when he saw a thin, long-legged man standing over him. He hugged his knees tighter. The man didn't say anything more. He simply stared. In the pale light of the moon, the boy couldn't make out much of his face. His voice had sounded old, but from what the child could see, the man wasn't old. He was in fact quite young. He wore strange clothes, a shirt with a collar and a brown coat - things the boy had seen in history museums, but never on actual people. It was odd, old clothing. A red cloth was tied around his neck - a bow-tie, he thought they were called. What was he doing wearing clothes like that?

He stared back at the man, with a mixture of fear and curiosity. He was not quite sure what to make of him. The question the man had asked still hung in the air unanswered. The man moved slowly toward him with a strange half-smile on his face. He walked like an old man too, slowly and curiously, with his head cocked to one side. His thick eyebrows were furrowed in what seemed like concern. It made the boy warier. Finally, the young-old man spoke.

"It's all right you know. You can trust me." he said quietly. His voice was slow and deliberate. It chose its words carefully. But it did not quell the scared child's fears. He only became more curious.

"Who are you?" asked the boy. He wiped forgotten tears from his eyes. It was an innocent enough question, and children do not always think sensitively.

The man's smile widened to a grin. "I'm the Doctor."

The boy's eyes widened when he realized what the man was there for. "No," his voice rose. "No, I don't need a doctor. Whatever they say, I'm not sick. I'm fine."

"Really?" asked the Doctor cryptically. "Because tonight I heard a cry for help, a tiny cry for help. And it was coming from here. Of all the cries of the universe, I heard yours. And you know what, the people who say they don't need a doctor are the ones who need one most."

This did nothing to calm the child's fears. In fact, it made him more fearful. The Doctor saw red, chafed patterns on his cheeks. His eyes were sunken and tired, and they glowed with half-dry tears. He softened his tone.

"I'm not a Doctor for sick people. I'm a bit different than that." he said. "Of course, I have a name, but that wouldn't help you. There are stories behind names. Mine has quite a story."

He approached the boy. This time, the child remained still and expectant. The Doctor slowly lowered himself to the child's level and shifted his weight to his haunches. They looked straight into each other's eyes. The Doctor was surprised by the power of the child's stare. It wasn't an innocent boy staring up at him, it was a serious gaze, one that wanted answers that were hard to give.

"What about your name? What kind of story do you have? It's not often that I meet lost little boys in the forest."

The boy sniffled, but didn't avert his gaze. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because every story is important, and it's never good to be lost in one. I'm lost too, actually. My T - my...ship - malfunctioned...somewhat...can I ask a delicate question?"

"What?"

"What year is it?"

The boy grimaced. "It's...2079. December 10th."

"Oh," the Doctor's face lit up. "Good year. 2079. Haven't visited in a bit. Good year."

"What are you talking about?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm old. I reminisce."

"You don't look very old." The boy scrutinized him suspiciously.

"Look who's talking." murmured the Doctor. "And how old are you, little fellow?"

"Seven." said the boy proudly.

"Seven. That's a lot of responsibility." The child let a small smile grow on his face as he blushed bashfully. "Now, there's a smile. See, not that hard, is it? Can you tell me your name now?"

The boy looked up at him again with reluctance. He had large green eyes that were bright and intelligent. The Doctor could tell he was wise beyond his years.

"My name is Vale. Vale Ravensgate."

"Vale." The Doctor played with the name. "Good name. Means 'goodbye', doesn't it? 'Farewell'?" Vale shrugged. "It's not often you hear a name like Vale. It's not an earth name. Someone named you Vale for a reason. It can't be an earth name."

"It's not." said Vale.

"Someone was saying goodbye to you. Why?"

"I don't know. I'm not from earth."

"Where are you from?"

Vale sighed heavily. "The Teacher found me here." He looked around at the vast woods around him. Then he looked at the Doctor with a challenging glance. "Where are you from?"

"Me?" His question took the Doctor by surprise. "Oh, I come from everywhere."

"Everywhere? But everyone has to come from somewhere."

"I'm not everyone." admitted the Doctor. "I just haven't found the right place yet."

Vale lifted his eyes to meet the Doctor's again. "Neither have I." he said with certainty. Vale found he was liking the man more and more. There was something not quite right with the Doctor, something odd and mysterious. He certainly wasn't a normal doctor, one with needles and a cold, stern voice. This Doctor was different than all the doctors Vale had known. And he had known many. And he hated them all. But not this one.

"So, that cry for help." said the Doctor. "I assume it was from you, or else there wouldn't be tears in your eyes."

"Don't tell anyone." whispered Vale urgently, as if there was someone around to tell. He tugged at his shirt sleeve. "Please. Teacher will beat me again. He - "

"Teacher?" The Doctor grimaced. "Teacher of what? And why is he beating you?"

"Teacher of life." explained Vale. It was the Doctor's turn to be confused. "You don't know what a Teacher of Life is?"

The Doctor shook his head vaguely. "I think we used to call them Fathers, but I don't know if we're thinking of the same thing. But go on."

"Well," Valedor hesitated, "I go to Life School with a lot of other boys. It's where you go if you don't have a family. But..."

"But what?"

"I'm not like them. And they all know it and Teacher knows it. And Teacher makes sure no one forgets it. They're all from earth and I'm not, and they don't like...aliens."

The Doctor scoffed. "I know an alien when I see one and you're not an alien, trust me."

"That's not what they say."

"Doesn't matter what they say. They haven't seen the universe like I have. Many things make up the universe and they all have a purpose," explained the Doctor. "Now, you said you're not like them. Why?"

Vale hesitated. It was obviously something he didn't want to talk about. The Doctor patted his shoulder encouragingly, and Vale looked at him. The Doctor's eyes were old, though they were surrounded by a youthful knew a lot of secrets, held a lot of history. Surely, Vale thought, those eyes could hold one more story.

"They won't tell me what it is." he said simply. He lifted his left arm and opened the sleeve, turning it so the soft flesh of his wrist was exposed. "What do you think?"

The Doctor squinted at the image in the dark. It was a maze of blue lines, almost like veins. They were etched down Vale's wrist. They were not curved, but straight and square. Giving it another glance, the Doctor reached into his blazer pocket.

"You're a Doctor." Vale continued. "Can you fix it?"

The Doctor bit his lip as he took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the network of veins. The screwdriver whirred as it glowed green on Vale's skin. The child watched it, blinking.

The Doctor whipped the screwdriver around to look at the reading. "Unknown." he muttered. He said to Vale, "I don't think I can quite tell you either."

Vale's mouth hung open, and his eyes sunk again. Tears welled at their corners. "Unknown? You mean...there's no way I can get better?"

The tone of the boy's voice broke the Doctor's hearts. He didn't know what to say. Usually, he could help anyone. But Vale was a special boy - different, unique. Unknown. He was smarter than a seven-year-old child. He hated to see Vale distraught, helpless.

"Listen." the Doctor said quietly. He leaned in. A tear rolled down Vale's cheek. "I've crossed the universe, I've seen stars you can't see in the sky, seen things you can't even dream of. I've met a lot of hopeless people, and I've given them hope. What I'm trying to say is - "

"You can't help me." Vale concluded gloomily.

"Well, yes. Put it that way, I guess." shrugged the Doctor. "But that doesn't mean you can't have hope."

Vale sniffled. "I don't know what hope will do for me now." he admitted. "I'm still scared."

"Oh, you will be." said the Doctor. "The Unknown is supposed to be scary." He winked. "That's what makes it fun." He looked at Vale sideways. "Are you sure you can't tell me more about your...problem?"

Vale shook his head. "I wish I could."

"Well," shrugged the Doctor, "you can't know everything."

He ruffled the boy's tousled dark hair. "I can tell that you're a good lad, and I'm sorry I can't help you."

"That's all right." said Vale, slightly sullen. "I haven't found anyone who can yet."

The Doctor poked Vale in the chest. Vale grimaced. "I promise that someday I'll come back, when I find out more."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

The Doctor stood up and grunted, rubbing his knee. "Ooh," he moaned. "I think my age is catching up to me."

Vale stood up as well, facing him. He was smaller than the Doctor had thought. He was barely level with the Doctor's belt buckle. Vale looked up at him with honest green eyes. He extended his hand.

"Thank you, sir," he said softly. "Whoever you are."

The Doctor took his hand and shook it heartily. "Don't mention it." he smiled. "I have to get back to my ship now. But before I do, you need to promise me something, too."

"What?"

"That you'll be strong, and you won't listen to anything anyone tells you about being an alien."

Vale smiled without hesitation. "I promise."

"Good lad." said the Doctor. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you...at some point."

Before Vale could answer, the man disappeared into the forest. Soon after, Vale heard the whirring sound he had heard before. The Doctor was gone and Vale was alone again. He felt the darkness creep in again.

Then he remembered the mad man's words, and repeated them over in his head.

I promise I'll be strong. No matter what they say, I'll be strong...


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Doctor Who, I just enjoy it to the fullest.

Here's Chapter Two. It's a bit more familiar Who-ish stuff. And...that's all I have to say.

Somewhere in Space

The TARDIS whirred and hummed as the Doctor fiddled with the control panel. He flipped switches on and off, pushed buttons, and flicked joysticks. But nothing worked. All of the monitors were fuzzy and unresponsive. Something wasn't right and the Doctor knew it. He grew increasingly worried as the problem worsened. The humming slowed to a stop. The Doctor a hand through his hair and began to pace around the panels, futilely searching for the problem. He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the monitors. He jumped back when a plume of black smoke erupted from behind the motherboard.

"Come on, old friend, don't fail me now." said the the Doctor under his breath. The TARDIS seemed to be trying its hardest to function, but to no avail. "What's wrong, my girl?"

"She's jealous."

The Doctor whipped around at the sound of a woman's voice. A tall, slim woman with curly blond hair stood by the TARDIS doors, her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pursed. The Doctor wasn't a bit surprised. He sighed heavily.

"River, whatever you're doing, stop. I need her."

"You need me, too."

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "I know that, but - "

"But nothing. Say please, you old fussbudget."

"I will not. And I'm not a fussbudget."

"I wasn't talking to you."

The TARDIS coughed and suddenly started whirring normally again. "Ah, that wasn't so hard, was it?" River smiled and looked around. The Doctor followed her eyes and glared at her. "You know, we've been married how long now? And this is the first time we've seen each other since then."

"It's not easy when you're gallivanting off all the time." said the Doctor. He avoided her gaze and focused on the control panel. He could only look at her for so long before something made him turn away. "Great. The control panel's dead."

"That was your fault, not mine," River said defensively. "That's what you get for trying to fix things." She walked up behind him and patted the controls as if it were a small child's head, looking sympathetically up at the TARDIS. "You'd think he'd have learned by now.

"So, where've you been?" asked the Doctor hot-temperedly, though he was obviously not interested.

River shrugged. "Touring the universe like you. Visited Mum and Dad." The Doctor looked up at her. They were nose to nose. Her sultry eyes were gazing into his. "It got me thinking...when are we going to have kids?"

"Aaaah..." He quickly ducked out of her way as his heart skipped a beat. "Let's not rush into things now..."

"Rush in? We got married within a moment's notice."

"Technically..we're not actually married."

"Yes we are. I was there. You were there...sort of. We're married."

The Doctor was quickly losing his patience. "Children are noisy. And messy. And they cause trouble." He let out a cry of frustration as his attempt to reboot the system failed.

"Sort of like you." murmured River.

The Doctor shot her a look. It wasn't that he didn't want children. He was afraid to. The universe wasn't safe for them. They were small and vulnerable...he had seen that firsthand with Vale. He had almost wanted to take Vale with him, but he knew from past experience that he couldn't take along another companion from earth - not for awhile, anyways.

"Well?" River looked up at him with a lifted brow.

"I don't know what you did. But something's not working."

"Are we married, Doctor?"

In a moment of exasperation, the Doctor blurted, "Yes, yes, River, we are. We're married."

"Though so." River pulled down the joystick. The TARDIS slowly started to come alive. River smiled coyly at him. "Oh, look, it's working again." She locked her gaze with him. "Well, newlyweds need a honeymoon. Let's see the universe together."

The TARDIS slowly started to rock back and forth. The whirring became louder and louder. Lights flickered. The Doctor laughed as they soared through time and space, hours and minutes ripping away. He spent a lot of time in trouble. It was time for a little fun, he admitted to himself.

He couldn't see River's face, but he imagined she was as exhilarated as he was. Wedded bliss, he thought as he laughed again.

"Geronimo!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, longer chapter here. Enjoy!**

Somewhere in Space

2095 AD

The TARDIS engines slowed to a low hum and the lights dimmed. The Doctor looked around to make sure it was all clear. He let go of the control panel. River was crouched beside him, head covered. She looked up when all was silent.

"That was your fault," teased the Doctor, taking his coat from the staircase railing. It had miraculously stayed put during all of the commotion.

River's fiery blue eyes flashed at him. "This isn't what I had in mind when I said honeymoon." she groaned. "Where are we?"

The Doctor gave an exaggerated shrug. "Who knows? That's the fun part."

"Maybe for you."

"Oi - you married me. Remember? You were there. I was there...sort of."

River rolled her eyes. She put a hand on the blaster at her side. "Come on. Let's go see where stupidity has taken us."

"Can't wait." The Doctor pulled on his coat and jumped down the stairs. He came to the TARDIS doors and was about to open them when he turned with mock gravitas to River. "Ready?"

"Oh, stop it, Mr. Dramatic."

The Doctor shrugged again. River was getting annoyed and he was loving it. "Just wondering. I mean, we could've just landed in a nest of Daleks, or a...barbecue in Texas."

"Well, we'll never find out by standing here talking about it." River said impatiently. She took her blaster out of the holster. "Bring on the barbecue."

"Right-oh." The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors. "Come along, Pond."

"You will not call me Pond."

"You're my wife, I'll call you what I want."

River grunted in frustration and pushed past him through the doors. He followed, chuckling to himself.

They stepped into immediate darkness. The Doctor closed the door and locked it. It echoed through a wide, unseen space around them. The Doctor turned on his sonic and scanned the room. The green glow revealed the shadowy control room of a spacecraft. The walls were black and charred where they'd been hit with crossfire. All of the ship's systems were dead. The screwdriver processed its reading.

"My sonic's not finding any other life." said the Doctor as he squinted at the results. River scanned the room, her blaster held at arm's length. "Either there's no one on this ship, or it's a graveyard. So watch your step."

River walked over to one of the blackened walls. "Looks like an ambush. The crew didn't go down without a fight. Judoon?"

"No. Judoon aren't usually this messy. I'm thinking space pirates. A quick ambush followed by a quick retreat. A hit-and-run." The Doctor paced the room. "No bodies. Yet. They might have atken them along. You never know with pirates. They're spontaneous, do things you wouldn't..." His sonic buzzed. "...expect..." He examined the reading again.

"What is it?"

"...life."

River paused. "How come it didn't pick it up right away?"

"It's not perfect. It makes mistakes - "

Suddenly, the sonic went berserk. It squeaked and buzzed. Sparks flew from the keypad. The Doctor panicked, wrapping it against his hand. It went dead. A stream of smoke fizzled from the switch.

"That's odd." he said, recovering his beating hearts from the sudden malfunction. "Power surge. Doesn't happen very often."

"What would cause a power surge? We're in a dead zone. Literally. And you've only used it to scan for life forms." River grimaced.

The Doctor shook his head incredulously. "I don't know." He hit it against his hand again. The light flickered, then went out. He tucked it into his coat pocket. "Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to rely on good old-fashioned intuition."

"Fan-tastic." murmured River. She looked around and kicked a heap of rubble by her feet. "How do you suppose you got a power surge here?"

The Doctor examined his sonic. "Well...perhaps someone doesn't want us here."

"Of course - always on the dark side of things."

"In my line of work, you have to be."

River muttered something. The Doctor wasn't listening.

"But the question is...how can you get a power surge when there's no power?"

River looked around and shrugged. "You can't."

As soon as she had spoken, the ship rocked uneasily. The Doctor stumbled, but regained his footing when the craft settled back into place.

"What was that?" River looked around. The ship was as it had been before it rocked.

"I don't...know..." The Doctor bit his lip in contemplation, trying to quickly analyze the situation. Life where there wasn't life, a power surge when there was no power.

He looked down at his sonic. It hadn't gotten too scathed. The reading still showed life on a fading screen. For once in his life, the Doctor was confused.

"Come on," he said to River. "Let's have a look around."

They walked through a long, narrow corridor, the Doctor leading the way with the faint, dying glow of his screwdriver. River kept her blaster on corridor went on for a long time, always straight ahead.

"It must be a fairly big ship." murmured River. "Any other signs of life?"

"No, still the same." muttered the Doctor. His eyes were fixed on the screwdriver. "No one home." He added absentmindedly. River glanced sideways at him.

"Honestly, you should get that looked at." River said as she pulled out her own sonic and scanned the ship. She looked at the reading and threw her hands up. The Doctor saw this and smirked.

"Having trouble?" he condescended. She didn't answer. "Well, if both sonics are reading the same reading, then that reading is the right reading, and if that reading is the right reading, that means...someone doesn't want us to know he - she - it - someone - is here."

"Do you have to tell me everything you're thinking?" River said as she smacked her seemingly faulty sonic on her hand, wanting to do the same to her husband. "I don't understand why - "

"No talking! Thinking." The Doctor's eyes searched the empty room, mapping out a situation in his head. "If I was a he-she-it hiding on an abandoned ship clinging to life, where would I hide? Think, Doctor, think!" He pounded his head. "And why wouldn't I want to find me?" River rolled her eyes.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to look around a little - "

"That's it!" The Doctor spun around and kissed River on the lips spontaneously. River backed up, stunned, as the Doctor continued. "He-she-it doesn't want us to find him or her or it because it thinks we're pirates - scavengers, or whatsit. So it's trying to block us, using a shield, hiding somewhere, running out of time - River, where would you go?"  
River almost didn't answer. She was still shocked by the Doctor's sudden kiss. "The - I would - the infirmary." The word suddenly came to her.

"The infirmary!" He threw his hands in the air. "Oh, I could kiss you again - stupid, Doctor, stupid! You overthought it."

"As always."

The Doctor became flighty and anxious. He was onto something. He quickly grabbed River's arm, causing her to almost lose her balance - and her sonic - as he pulled her along. "Come on. We have to find the infirmary. You, my love, are brilliant."

"Well," River smiled breathlessly. "I'm glad you finally see it my way."

"Don't worry. Spur of the moment. That touchy feeling won't last long - and we have to find ourselves a he-she-it!"

Before River could say anything else, the Doctor was off once again, faster than before, newly-rekindled sonic whirring, mind racing.

"Why would your sonic say there was life, then there wasn't, then there was?" River asked breathlessly as the Doctor pulled her along.

"I don't know. Might just be a glitch - " he turned around and looked at her strangely. " - might be something more sinister." HIs pliable face suddenly erupted in a smile. "I love a good mystery!"

They walked on, until the sonic began to buzz uncontrollably when they came to the last door at the very end of the corridor.

"Our he-she-it...is in here." concluded the Doctor. "Now let's get to it."

He pointed the sonic to the door panel. River hesitantly looked down the length of endless corridor.

"You do realize that whoever - whatever - is behind that door might be dangerous and could possibly kill you?"

The Doctor looked up at her with a smirk. "Have you forgotten who I am?"

The door slid open. "You first." River whispered.

"Suit yourself." The Doctor pointed his sonic into the darkness and walked in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Soooo...chapter 4. Yep. Not much to say about it. Just enjoy and read. I would love to know your reactions, so please write a little review. Thanks!**

The Infirmary

River followed close behind, blaster at the ready. Shadows crept up to them then immediately crept back in the light of the sonic. They danced on the walls on either side of them.

"This is definitely the infirmary," she said. "I smell blood."

The sonic's light fell on blank monitors, screens, empty overturned beds, life support systems. A few items were turned over. Bottles of liquid lay broken on the floor. Charred marks from blaster fire etched the walls.

"They were attacked quickly. They had no time to escape." River said.

"And no time to collect the dead." murmured the Doctor. "Look."

River turned to look into the circle of light from the sonic. The body of a soldier lay across a bed, motionless. A screened helmet concealed his face, but a bloodstained suit showed his fate.

The Doctor looked at his sonic. "Not a space pirate...his suit's too fancy for that. He's a professional something-or-other. This is a professional grade ship. But the question is, why were they attacked? Or why were they attack_ing_?"

The sight haunted River and she shivered. "Is there any way of getting some light in here? For all we know, we could be standing in a graveyard."

The Doctor seemed anxious to get some light as well. "I'll go see what I can do. You keep looking, but be careful," he said as he walked toward the door.

Meanwhile, River continued to rummage in the semi-darkness, looking for clues of the life form. It could very well have been the dead man on the bed, struggling for life, and his signals were too weak for the sonic to pick up. But why the power surge? He wasn't made of electricity. And everything else seemed fairly still and...well, _dead_. The only things she could see were the remains of an attack. Overturned medical tables, spilt blood bags, various utensils strewn on the floor. But no bodies - only the soldier on the table.

"Well, there were humans on this ship, whoever they were." River called in the dark. "The blood in the bags is red."

"Good observation." The Doctor's voice was muffled. "I think I found the main power circuit. If I could just - ouch! _Bad_ circuit! Naughty!"

"For the love of..." River did not finish. Something caught her eye. On the floor in front of her there was a transparent tablet with buttons on the side. She picked it up. The tablet lit up with a dim blue display. The heading on the tablet said MEDICAL RECORDS. Out of curiosity, River flicked through a few of the names.

Dreyfuss, Drax. 5 April 2079. Experiencing symptoms of fatigue, tingling sensation in arms. Undiagnosed.

Farrah, Roomey. 10 May 2079. Fatigue, tingling in arms, strange blue markings on forearms. Undiagnosed.

16 May. Suffered heart incident, pronounced dead 0700.

McDonald, Fergus. 7 June 2079. X-rays found parasite activity in brain cavity. Undiagnosed. Medically induced coma. Preparing for removal.

10 June. Removal unsuccessful. Pronounced dead 2100.

River's heart began racing faster as she read through the list of apparent death sentences. "...Doctor." she said. Realizing her voice wasn't loud enough, she exclaimed, "Doctor!"

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder. River started before she realized who it was.

"Doctor, don't do that, I - "

She turned. It was not the Doctor. A tall man with a screened helmet stood over her. She screamed and dropped the tablet as the man's legs buckled and he collapsed on the floor. The tablet shattered near him.

After a flurry of footsteps the Doctor's frame became visible in the darkness. "River, I heard a scream, what happened - " He saw the body, thinking it was dead. "Ah..."

"He came up behind me. He's still alive." River explained shakily. Her heart was beating out of her chest.

"Still alive?" murmured the Doctor. He tried sonicking the body. Nothing. "_Unknown_. Hm. Our he-she-it, maybe?"

"I don't know." River looked up at him with an annoyed expression. "Did you find the lights yet?"

The Doctor looked at her guiltily. "I fiddled with some wires and hoped for the best. I reprogrammed something."

"What?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, the room filled with a red flood of light. They could clearly see the body between them. He wore some sort of full body suit that was torn at the shoulder. River thought she could make out blue, square lines on his shoulder. The Doctor did not notice. He was looking up at the lights.

"Ha-ha! See! I knew I found the lights!"

A mechanical voice over their heads began to speak.

"Self-destruct system activated. Self destruction in five minutes."

River looked up at the Doctor with gritted teeth. "You_ idiot_!"

"There's no time for that. Come on, grab the body, bring it to the TARDIS."

"Me? Bring the body? He's twice as big as me!"

"Fine, we'll bring the body, just hurry up!"

The Doctor grabbed his legs and River struggled to lift the rest of his bulk. They slowly made their way to the corridor.

"Self-destruct in three minutes..."

They shuffled down the corridor, now illuminated with shadowy red light. Midway down the corridor, River dropped the body. His helmet cracked. A groan could be heard from within.

"Ah, so he is still alive!" commented the Doctor.

"Self destruct in one minute..."

"Yes, we know! We're trying!" the Doctor exclaimed.

They made their way as quickly as they could to the TARDIS. The ship was starting to shake.

"What's that?" River asked warily.

"The internal combustion engines are, well...combusting. Come on!" The TARDIS doors flew open and they dragged the body inside.

"Self-destruct in five..."

The Doctor clenched the lever.

"Four..."

He pulled it down.

"Three..."

The TARDIS started to hum.

"Two..."

"Hang on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" The mad man in the box clung gleefully to the controls.

"One."

The TARDIS was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

The TARDIS

With that, the TARDIS went spinning off into space as the ship self-destructed behind it. The TARDIS rocked and veered before finally stabilizing again. River was slinging to a railing with one arm around the unconscious soldier. The Doctor, who had been holding tight to the center module, relaxed and looked over at the pair. He gave an exasperated look to the man in River's arms as she lowered him to the floor.

"Whose idea was it to bring in that big lug, anyway?" he muttered.

"Yours." River said pertly. She checked his pulse on his wrist.

"Was it? Huh...Well, I say things spur of the moment sometimes."

"_Sometimes_," River lowered the man's wrist. His bare shoulder caught her eye and she noticed the blue lines again. "Doctor, did you see these?"

The Doctor glanced over and saw the blue lines. He quickly came over to the body at the sight of them. "Wait a bit..." He knelt down and examined them closer.

"Must be tattoos of some sort. Are you sure he's not a pirate?"

The Doctor shook his head manically. "No, no, not tattoos...not if I'm right..." He scanned the man's shoulder with his sonic.

"Of course, and you're always right..."

The reading was Unknown. The Doctor stared at it for a moment, then stared down at the man. "But it couldn't be..." He murmured to himself. Suddenly he ran over to the module. "What year is it...?" The module read 2095. The Doctor shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. "11, 12, 13...it's possible..."

"What is it?" River was confused. She was trying to take the man's helmet off.

"He would be 23 years old...sixteen years!" The Doctor looked over at the soldier. "But it was his left arm, not his right...unless, it spread..."

"Doctor, what on earth are you talking about?" River repeated more vehemently.

"_Vale_!" The Doctor blurted, as if it would make complete sense to her. Her grimace only became deeper. "Take off his helmet, River."

"I'm trying. He must have a big head - like some people I know..."

Finally, the helmet slid off. "My word, he's just a boy." River exclaimed. He was. He had a youthful yet mature face and curly dark hair. His skin was unnaturally pale. His eyes were closed and his body still.

"He's not dead, is he?" The Doctor watched intently.

"No, but he's not breathing." River slapped the boy's face. "Come on, big fellow, breathe! Breathe!" She sighed heavily and knelt down to his lips.

"Oi, your _husband is watching_!"

River looked up briefly with a glare. "I'm trying to save his life!"

"Oh, of course you are. How many other space cowboys have you kissed lately, eh?"

The boy began to sputter and breathe and color returned to his face, giving it a healthier complexion. He opened his eyes just as River was finishing her resuscitation.

"Who are you?" He tried to back away in shock.

"Alive and kicking," murmured the Doctor.

River tried to calm him down. "Come on, sit up." She helped him into a sitting position.

"Why were you trying to kiss me?" he said between coughs, still wary of her.

"He sure gets down to business, doesn't he?" said the Doctor. "Definitely a soldier."

River shot him a look, then turned to the man and said, "I wasn't trying to kiss you, don't flatter yourself. I was trying to save your life."

"No one's ever tried to save my life_ that_ way."

The Doctor looked at River with raised eyebrows. "There must be more advanced ways of doing that in 2095."

"Shut up." said River sotto voce. She looked back at the boy. "We pulled you off a destroyed spacecraft. You were the only survivor as far as we could tell."

The man's expression changed when the memories of the spacecraft returned. "You should have left me on that ship." he said in a low voice.

The Doctor had left the module and was walking toward him. "And why is that...Vale?"

Vale turned to the Doctor. "How do you know my - "

When he turned and saw the Doctor his mouth dropped open and he didn't say anything. The Doctor grinned.

"Vale Ravensgate. Yes, I know you. You know me, too, it seems." he said, walking toward him. "The Farewell Child. The last time you saw me was sixteen years ago, though for me it was only hours ago. I kept you waiting...I feel like I do that a lot. You humans grow up too fast." He offered a hand to Vale and helped him stand up. "Grow up. Literally." He realized he was looking up at Vale instead of down.

"I went back to that exact spot, every year, on that night, for five years. Until I realized you weren't coming back." Vale looked melancholy as he looked at the Doctor, thinking of the years he waited.

The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder, the one with the torn sleeve. "I'm here now." He looked at Vale's shoulder. "And I promise you I will find out the cause of your condition." He paused and glanced at River. "Now, you said it would have been better if we left you on that ship. Why?"

"Because I killed everyone on that ship."


End file.
